Going nationwide

Michael Rebell, who for more than 12 years has led a court fight to bring more money to New York City schools, is going nationwide.

Â He’s gone from being executive director at the Campaign for Fiscal to the executive director of the Campaign for Educational Equity.
The first group was created to sue for more money in New York City. And while that case is currently on appeal, and Rebell continues to serveÂ as counsel to them, the Educational Equity group will be following similar lawsuits across the nation.

CreatedÂ last year at Columbia University’s Teachers College, the Campaign for Educational Equity will be involved inÂ the various legal, political and policy ins and outs of what has emerged as aÂ growth area in the legal field — lawsuits against states to get more school funding. Rebell is viewed as a pioneer in that area, due to his work in New York.

Campaign for Educational Equity spokseman Joe Levine assures us, though, that Rebell won’t actually be filing lawsuits in other states. At least 25 school funding suitsÂ have been filedÂ over the last decade, with varying degrees of success.